


holding on to you

by spero11



Category: Little Nightmares (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Magic, Bounty Hunters, F/M, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, Young Adults Falling in Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-16
Updated: 2021-03-21
Packaged: 2021-03-24 19:08:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,653
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30076971
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spero11/pseuds/spero11
Summary: in this world of magic, there is only fear. the once great land kingdom has fallen, and the sky tower reigns in its center. it sees, but cannot do; it provides a perfect sense of escape to its followers, but true escape is nearly unreachable. that's why those who can reach it are a threat.six just wants to survive in a desolate world, but her newest captive is quite annoying.
Relationships: Mono/Six (Little Nightmares)
Comments: 17
Kudos: 70





	1. at a distance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i caved and spontaneously thought of a story idea that's loosely based on canon so now here's an ln2 fic
> 
> if u want, check out my ig @ ao3.spero11
> 
> this story is not exactly my prioritized story, but i do have small/rare updates on it, and i'm thinking about drawing some fanart!

She crosses the desolate land barefoot. Despite being weaponless, she's resourceful. Though, killing is something she tends to avoid; she captures the wanted, if only to live another day.

She isn't the most highly intellectual around, but she knows something is off about this one.

He was up in a tree when she found him, staring at the full moon. One of his legs hung off of it, swaying like an extension of the branch.

She stared at the paper bag on his head.

Then he turned to her, and although she couldn't see his face, she knew that he was smiling.

"You found me!"

He proclaimed with such happiness, she couldn't help but wonder why.

She has never even met him.

Now he was bound by his wrists, dutifully following after her. Against her better judgement, she didn't leash his neck to her wrist. To be fair, when she indicated that he had to follow her to the Tower, he trailed after her without a fuss or hesitation. _That_ just maximized the strangeness of the situation.

Sometimes, she would turn around momentarily, making sure he was there. She was still surprised over how un-surprised she was, because every time, he was there and radiating absolute positive joy.

She scrunched up her face in confusion.

She found herself more confused when he began to speak to her.

"Hey, I'm Mono! What's your name?"

She didn't respond, and continued to walk.

"I like your coat. Where'd you get it?"

More silence.

"You're pretty."

She stopped, turning around to gaze at him from under her hood. Two black circles stare back, empty and infinite.

He said blithely, "Watch where you step. There are traps everywhere in this forest."

She wanted to scoff. Of course she knew that—she's trekked these woods before. The Hunter that lived here was an absolute nuisance, but he wasn't on her list. Turning around, she was just about to step forward—

Until a hand grabbed her hand, yanking her backward.

Her first instinct was to topple him, but his grip was strong, and he held his ground. A quiet hush met her ears, and she watched as he tossed a pebble into the grass.

_SNAP!_

A claw sprung into the air, its metal teeth snagging onto nothing. She froze, feeling a cold sensation run down her back. It could've been her snagged by that trap. How did she not see it? How did _he_ see it?

She turned to him, and despite the fact that most of her face was hidden, he seemed to understand her silent questioning. However, he only responded with a light-hearted reprimand.

"I told you to be careful!" he wagged his finger at her, and she wondered once again why he was like this. It was almost childish in a way, but by the looks of it, he was barely a child, and so was she.

Regardless, she harrumphed, scooping up a pebble and throwing it into the grass. She repeated this process until the pathway through the grass was seemingly clear. They crossed the distance into a more open field, free of traps, where they spent much of the hour trekking land. He would frequently speak to her, ask her questions, or compliment her, and she would ignore it all. 

With her annoyance increasing, she was beginning to wonder why the Eye wanted him. He seemed too insignificant to be used by something as powerful as the Eye. Perhaps he made for a good snack, and that thought made her more annoyed—she was stuck with talkative foodstock.

Her feet throbbed, and her body ached with hunger pangs, so she signaled their resting spot for the night. It was within the indentation of a large tree, cushioned with dead leaves and good for coverage. She started a fire, then sat back against the trunk.

"Hey S—so, uh, I have to use the bathroom."

The way he said it sounded choked, but she paid it no mind. Though she should be more careful with the goods, she only waved him off. With a happy noise, he hopped to his feet and ran to the nearest bush.

After a few minutes, she itched to check on him, dreading that he actually fled. A palm met her face, and she inwardly cursed at her nonsensical, flimsy trust in her captive. Why she let him roam free without supervision, she didn't know.

"Hey! I'm back." 

His voice actually startled her, and she whirled her head around to find him standing there with a small, dead animal in his hand. Its blood trailed down his fingers, but he seemed unperturbed by the grotesque nature of it.

"I'm pretty hungry, and I guessed you would be too, so I got us some food!"

Mono reached under his coat and whipped out a hatchet. Her eyes nearly bugged out of its sockets—she completely forgot to disarm him! Yet, he didn't use the weapon on her at all, not even to defend himself. Well, it didn't seem like he was interested in fighting back, anyway.

He placed the dead animal on a nearby rock and skillfully prepared it for cooking. Then he stuck it near the fire and waited for it to cook.

Without a care in the world, he plopped down next to her with a relaxed sigh. She drew her knees in closer to her chest.

"Between you and me, I like the wilderness a lot more than the villages." Mono said quietly, like it was a secret, "People are starved and ruthless; it's sad to see, but nothing can really be done unless the Tower falls."

She shifted in her spot, allowing herself to see him more clearly. 

"Here, it's quiet. It's nice, sorta like living in blissful ignorance." Mono wasn't looking at her, but at the fire, "Though, there are some things you can never escape, huh?"

Her gaze fell to the fire, too. His hands moved, taking a stick of the cooked meat from the fire and handing it to her. He waited for her to bite it.

Once she did, she took another, and another, and another, until there were only bones. Her hunger was sated, but for now.

"It was good?"

She nodded.

"That's great!"

He was grinning again, probably. 

"Thank you."

Her voice left her lips before she could stifle it. She bit her cheek, silently claiming betrayal of her body against her mind.

His body jolted, as though from surprise. Then he laughed and seemed to sparkle through his drab paper bag while saying "You're welcome."

_My name is Six._ She wanted to say, but she didn't. 

She was a bounty hunter, and he was her captive; knowing her name would be useless information for him. An exchange of names meant they were supposed to use them, so if she never told him, he would never say it. She wouldn't have to deal with hearing him say her name for the last time once he was off her hands.

As she fell asleep, she wondered why her chest ached for him to know her name.


	2. nothing between them

In the morning, she woke up first. Six has always been a light-sleeper—it kept her protected against any unwanted visitors. Letting out a yawn, she turned her head to Mono, who seemed to still be asleep. With one knee propped up, he had his back against the tree and his head drooping over. She cringed, knowing the pain that would come from a position like that.

Her head tilted slightly, realizing that this might be her chance to see what was under his paper bag.

_ Wait, why do I want to know again? _

She absolutely didn't. 

But still, her hand had a mind of its own.

_ Maybe just a peek. If he ran, I would know who to look for… _

She reasoned, despite knowing that he probably wouldn't run. Her fingers barely grazed the paper when he jolted awake, his own hand suddenly seizing her by her wrist.

His grip was tight, and it  _ hurt. _

She let out the smallest sound of pain, and he immediately released her.

"S—Wha—?" Mono slurred from his grogginess. He made a move to turn to her, but winced from the movement. Rubbing the back of his neck, he uttered a weary, "Ow…"

Six was massaging her wrist, silently questioning his strength and annoyingly feeling more curious about his identity. Mono only stretched and cracked his aching joints, yawning under his head coverage. 

She stood up, gesturing for him to do the same. Once he did, she wrapped the rope around his wrists, tightening it out of spite. Mono whined, "Hey, that sorta hurts…"

Six looked at him from under her black bangs, a crimson red that glinted—glaring at him from under her pale yellow hood. 

He seemed to break into a sweat. "E-Eh? Are you mad?"

She clicked her tongue and whirled her head to begin their trek, nearly leaving him behind. Of course, he chased after her with his now bound wrists, wondering what he did wrong.

But this action made her more annoyed. He was her  _ captive,  _ so why was he being so comfortable with her? Why didn't he try to run, or attack her, or something?

She found no way to ask him these, because one, it was too embarrassing, and two, she didn't want to talk to him.

Though, maybe…

"Hey! Come ba—aah!" Mono stumbled backward as the young woman in the yellow coat dipped into a threatening pose. 

_ Fight me,  _ she clearly indicated. Mono threw out his useless arms, like he was reminding her of his current status. Then after a moment of pause, he said, "Why am I fighting you, exactly?"

_ The Eye must want him for something…  _ Six circled him like a predator prepared to pounce on her prey,  _ He must be hiding something. He's strong, he doesn't show his face, and he's too relaxed… _

Mono looked up with worry, "Come on, I don't really wanna…"

She feigned an attack, making him flinch. A smirk curved on her face,  _ Maybe he really is just a snack. _

A simple takedown. That would remind him of his position between the two of them.

She dashed toward him, and from what he could see, this was not a fake-out. Mono's body tensed, his muscles demanding to retaliate, but he couldn't.

Six swiped his ankles, and he went plummeting to the floor. A small 'oof' escaped him, and he groaned at the new wave of pain.

She stood over him triumphantly, and he only sighed. "Are you satisfied now?"

Six frowned and placed one foot on his chest, only slightly pressing down. She glared at him again, but he wasn't looking at her. In fact, he was very intensely avoiding her gaze, and if she looked close enough, there was redness crawling up his neck.

_ Did I hurt him too much?  _ Six growled,  _ Or is he just ignoring me, now? _

Meanwhile, Mono chanted,  _ Don't look, don't look, don't look, don'tlookdon'tlookdon'tlook— _

When Six finally got off of him, he emitted a sigh of relief. Mono hoped she got everything out of her system, but she only crossed her arms and harrumphed. He once again had to catch up to her, since she seemed intent on leaving him behind.

"Aren't I your captive?" Mono inquired quietly, somewhat in disbelief that she kept trying to go on without him. Six heaved a heavy exhale, then dropped her arms, as though reluctantly agreeing with him. He muffled a chuckle at her confusing behavior.

_ She's still so cute. _

* * *

Six creeped along the forest's greenery, eyes watchful on the large man searching for them. One gloved hand drew the string of the bow back, making it taut and prepared to shoot. She saw a bird flutter from the grass, and instantly, it was killed in the air.

Her stomach growled, and she shushed it.

She should have been more careful. She should have heard him stalking nearby. Why was she being so careless? 

The presence of the young man behind her seemed to be the answer, but she ignored it. There was no reason _at all_ that she would be distracted by him, _except_ if it was for keeping him alive for money.

No use in regretting her decisions up to now—she had to find a way for them to get out of here.

Mono seemed to be nervous about the whole ordeal, as well, but she did her best to show him how to be stealthy. Six spotted their next hiding spot, and once there was an opening, she bolted for it.

Her hand beckoned him to join her, yet Mono waited for his turn to run. There was a tense silence, and she thought she could hear his heart beating from where she was crouching. He ducked, prepared to follow after her once the opportunity presented itself.

Then, it arrived. The Hunter gazed elsewhere, so Mono took one step into the open—

There was a breathy yell, and suddenly, thin, swift arrows were speedily flying at him. The masked man had spotted Mono.

_ Oh, come on! _ Six muttered some incantations, and tiny spell circles manifested underneath her feet. With a new lightness, she sprinted to him and yanked him out of the Hunter's sights.

Mono was grumbling in her grasp as she searched for an escape route. "I don't understand. I literally took  _ one  _ step—"

_ There!  _ Six dove for the opening between two sturdy trees, narrowly evading the arrows that soon embedded themselves into the trunks. She fastened her grip on Mono’s hand and dashed as far as she could until her spell inactivated. Then, she hid behind a nearby boulder with her captive in tow, listening for the heavy footsteps of the Hunter. They both silenced, hearing the faint  _ crunch  _ of the grass, and the soft howls of the wind. 

_ He must be around twenty to thirty feet away.  _ Six estimated in her mind as she focused on another escape route,  _ If we can make it out of these parts of the woods, we could probably escape to the nearest town. _

She bit her lip.  _ What if he just continues chasing, though? What do we do? _

They were wasting too much time being sitting ducks, waiting to get shot. Six made up her mind and decided to head for the pathway in front of them. Startled from her sudden movement, he failed to maintain his grasp on her.

“Wait, not that way—!”

It was too late. In one moment, she was moving, and in the next, she was heading toward the sky.

Coldness seared her feet. Her hands reached out, but she was only able to clutch onto metal. Taking in her surroundings, she appeared to be trapped in a hanging cage. When she tried to mutter incantations, something invisible blocked her flow of mana. Upon inspecting the metal, runes were scrawled all over with white paint. Inwardly, she cursed a hefty amount.

Mono made a move toward her, but he stilled at the rapidly approaching footsteps of the Hunter. Soon, the bulky man was in plain sight, his bow and arrow ready to shoot. Upon seeing Six caught in his trap, he lowered his weapon and unbuckled the clamp connected to the tree. The cage fell to the ground, and she hissed at the abrupt pain. Uncaring, the Hunter began to drag the cage in the direction of what she could only presume was toward his cabin.

Six only caught a glimpse of Mono, but it still shot fire through her veins. Here she was, one of the most renowned bounty hunters, captured, while her captive could now roam free.

She clenched her fists around the bars. This man was still annoying the hell out of her, even in an ironic situation like this. Spitefully, she hoped he enjoyed the taste of freedom once again.


End file.
